Selected Monthly Precipitation Data in Iowa
These selected data are supplied by the Iowa State Climatologist from within the Iowa Department of Agriculture. The rainfall reported here are generally preliminary observations accesses by the SC on a regular basis from a data transfer process from Cooperative Observer sites across the state. In general, missing observations are days without precipitation. However, official data from NCDC should be available for check of accuracy.

The data format is TD-3200, a format used by the National Climatic Data Center. A listing of sites included and an example of the decoding appears below. All have official, 6-digit Cooperative Observer identification numbers. Data are arranged in monthy reports by station number, and are available from October 1992 to September 1993.

  ID      Lat     Long     Station
--------------------------------------
130133   43.07  -94.30   ALGONA_3_W
130157   42.75  -92.78   ALLISON
130181   42.98  -96.02   ALTON
130200   42.02  -93.80   AMES_8_WSW
130203   41.97  -93.57   AMES_5_SE
130213   42.12  -91.30   ANAMOSA_1_NW
130241   41.73  -93.57   ANKENY
130364   41.42  -95.00   ATLANTIC_1_NE
130385   41.70  -94.92   AUDUBON_1_SSE
130576   40.67  -94.73   BEDFORD
130600   41.90  -92.27   BELLE_PLAINE
130608   42.27  -90.42   BELLEVUE_LOCK_&_DAM_12
130745   40.60  -94.48   BLOCKTON_2_S
130753   40.75  -92.43   BLOOMFIELD_1_WNW
130910   41.20  -91.80   BRIGHTON_3_N
130923   43.08  -93.80   BRITT
130999   42.42  -93.38   BUCKEYE
131233   42.07  -94.85   CARROLL
131257   42.30  -91.02   CASCADE
131277   42.07  -95.82   CASTANA_EXPERIMENT_FARM
131314   41.88  -91.70   CEDAR_RAPIDS_AP
131354   40.73  -92.87   CENTERVILLE
131394   41.00  -93.28   CHARITON_1_E
131402   43.05  -92.67   CHARLES_CITY
131533   40.73  -95.03   CLARINDA
131541   42.73  -93.73   CLARION
131651   40.68  -93.50   CLIO
131704   42.08  -92.40   CLUTIER
131710   42.02  -93.33   COLO
131742   42.22  -92.87   CONRAD_2SSE
131833   41.00  -94.75   CORNING
131962   41.03  -94.40   CRESTON_2_SW
132110   43.30  -91.80   DECORAH
132235   41.82  -90.57   DE_WITT
132311   43.47  -91.50   DORCHESTER
132364   42.53  -90.65   DUBUQUE_LOCK_&_DAM_11
132388   42.75  -92.97   DUMONT
132573   42.35  -93.10   ELDORA
132603   42.82  -91.42   ELKADER_5_SSW
132689   43.10  -94.68   EMMETSBURG
132724   43.42  -94.83   ESTHERVILLE
132864   42.85  -91.80   FAYETTE
132977   43.28  -93.63   FOREST_CITY_2_NNE
132999   42.50  -94.20   FORT_DODGE
133108   42.50  -95.40   GALVA
133120   42.10  -92.67   GARWIN
133239   41.82  -92.73   GILMAN_5_SE
133290   41.00  -95.77   GLENWOOD_3_SW
133509   41.68  -94.52   GUTHRIE_CENTER
133517   42.78  -91.10   GUTTENBERG_L_&_D_10
133584   42.75  -93.20   HAMPTON
133718   43.00  -96.48   HAWARDEN
133909   42.48  -95.53   HOLSTEIN
133960   42.30  -93.30   HUBBARD
133985   42.70  -94.27   HUMBOLDT_3_W
134038   42.40  -95.52   IDA_GROVE_5_NW
134049   42.48  -91.82   INDEPENDENCE_5_ENE
134063   41.37  -93.55   INDIANOLA
134142   42.53  -93.27   IOWA_FALLS
134228   42.02  -94.38   JEFFERSON_1_S
134244   42.30  -93.65   JEWELL
134308   42.93  -93.80   KANAWHA
134381   40.40  -91.37   KEOKUK
134389   40.73  -91.97   KEOSAUQUA_STATE_PARK
134502   41.33  -93.12   KNOXVILLE
134557   43.40  -93.53   LAKE_MILLS
134585   40.62  -93.95   LAMONI
134705   41.58  -90.42   LE_CLAIRE_L_&_D_14
134735   42.78  -96.17   LE_MARS
134926   41.12  -94.05   LORIMOR
135123   42.17  -95.78   MAPLETON_NO_2
135127   42.17  -95.78   MAPLETON
135131   42.02  -90.65   MAQUOKETA_3_S
135198   42.07  -92.93   MARSHALLTOWN_2
135230   43.15  -93.20   MASON_CITY
135250   41.25  -94.77   MASSENA
135493   43.38  -95.18   MILFORD_4_NW
135650   41.58  -92.53   MONTEZUMA
135769   40.68  -94.30   MOUNT_AYR_4_SW
135796   40.95  -91.55   MOUNT_PLEASANT_1_SSW
135837   41.40  -91.07   MUSCATINE
135952   43.05  -92.32   NEW_HAMPTON_1_E
135992   41.70  -93.05   NEWTON_2_E
135992   41.70  -93.05   NEWTON_2_E
136103   43.45  -93.22   NORTHWOOD
136151   41.30  -95.47   OAKLAND_4_WSW
136160   40.92  -91.67   OAKLAND_MILLS_3_W
136190   43.42  -95.53   OCHEYEDAN
136200   42.65  -91.92   OELWEIN
136243   42.02  -96.10   ONAWA
136305   43.28  -92.80   OSAGE
136316   41.02  -93.82   OSCEOLA_3_WSW
136327   41.32  -92.65   OSKALOOSA
136527   41.47  -92.92   PELLA_4_N
136566   41.85  -94.12   PERRY
136590   42.92  -95.35   PETERSON
136766   43.08  -91.57   POSTVILLE
136800   43.08  -95.63   PRIMGHAR
136891   40.87  -95.57   RANDOLPH
136940   41.00  -95.23   RED_OAK
137147   43.43  -96.17   ROCK_RAPIDS
137152   43.20  -96.30   ROCK_VALLEY
137312   42.43  -95.00   SAC_CITY
137386   43.18  -95.68   SANBORN
137594   43.18  -95.85   SHELDON
137613   40.75  -95.37   SHENANDOAH
137664   43.45  -95.72   SIBLEY_5_NNE
137669   40.75  -95.65   SIDNEY_1_NNW
137678   41.33  -92.20   SIGOURNEY
137713   42.52  -96.40   SIOUX_CITY_PERRY_CREEK
137726   42.88  -95.07   SIOUX_RAPIDS_4_E
137844   43.17  -95.15   SPENCER_1_N
137932   42.40  -93.08   STEAMBOAT_ROCK
137979   42.63  -95.18   STORM_LAKE_2_E
138026   43.38  -94.32   SWEA_CITY
138266   41.83  -91.07   TIPTON_4_NE
138270   43.30  -94.05   TITONKA_4_NNW
138339   42.82  -92.25   TRIPOLI
138632   41.87  -91.80   WALFORD_3_ESE
138668   41.17  -91.18   WAPELLO
138688   41.28  -91.68   WASHINGTON
138742   43.05  -92.02   WAUCOMA
138755   43.27  -91.48   WAUKON
138806   42.47  -93.80   WEBSTER_CITY
139062   42.48  -93.55   WILLIAMS
139067   41.67  -92.02   WILLIAMSBURG
139132   41.37  -94.03   WINTERSET_2_NNW
139750   42.15  -93.30   ZEARING


Example decoding:

         1         2         3         4         5         6         7         8
12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
DLY137844 1PRCPHI1992109999 31 124     0 S 224     0 S 324     0 S 424     0 S 524     0 S 624   118 S 724   195 S 824   109 S 924     0TS1024     0 S1124     0 S1224     0 S1324     0 S1424     0TS1524     1 S1624     0TS1724     0 S1824     0 S1924     0 S2024     0 S2124     0 S2224     0 S2324     0 S2424     0 S2524     0 S2624     0 S2724     0 S2824     0 S2924     0 S3024     0 S3124    37 S

Column      Contents          Meaning
  1-3        DLY          record type (DLY = daily)
  4-9        130046       station ID (state 13 [Iowa], site 0046)*
 10-11       99           not used
 12-15       PRCP         element type (PRCP = precipitation)
 16-17       HI           element units (HI = hundreths of inches)
 18-21       1993         year
 22-23       3            month
 24-27       9999         not used
 28-30       1            number of data entries to follow
 31-34       1            day
 33-34       0            time of observation (7 = 7 am, 24 = midnight,etc.)
 35                       not used
 36-40       -99          data value (-99 = missing data)
 41                       flag 1
 42          0            flag 2 (0 = valid data element)
 43-44                    not used
 45-53       41.5000      latitude (degrees)
 54-62      -94.6300      longitude (degrees)

* non-number sites have the state number 93, then are numbered consecutively